Around 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines were delivered by Qatar Airways Cargo to various countries around the world during the course of the pandemic.

Qatar Airways announced its profits during the past fiscal year stood at $1.5 billion, indicating the most the state-owned company has earned as it prepares for the influx of travellers for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The Gulf carrier revealed this year’s revenue reached $14.4 billion, which is up 78% in comparison to last year’s. During the fiscal period between 2021 to 2022, the airline carried 18.5 million passengers, an approximate 200% surge from the previous year.

This is considered a drastic reversal of past slow downs for Qatar Airways as it grappled with a net loss of $4.1 billion in the previous fiscal cycle due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the grounding of more than 20 of its A350 jets.

Due to the increased efforts of multiple nations embarking on successful vaccine campaigns across the globe, the aviation industry picked up its momentum during the outbreak of the virus.

Qatar Airways Cargo delivered approximately 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to many countries around the world during the course of the health crisis.

“We have pursued every business opportunity and left no stone unturned as we aimed to meet our targets,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said.

“Our strategic investments in a varied fleet of modern, fuel-efficient aircraft has helped us overcome the significant challenges related to capacity constraints while balancing commercial needs as swiftly as possible.”

During the peak of the pandemic, some airlines received monetary help from governments in a bid to keep the industry’s operations above ground.

Qatar Airways remained operating during the hardest months of the Coronavirus pandemic, with a $3 billion lifeline from the Qatari government that enabled the carrier to keep afloat as it struggled with the long-haul travel restrictions prompted by the virus.

Its regional-based competitor, Dubai’s flagship Emirates Airline, also received a multibillion-dollar payment from the Dubai government during the viral outbreak.

“The two airlines serve as key economic mainstays for their respective countries, which rely heavily on tourists and transit passengers,” Al Jazeera said.

The Gulf carrier, however, said this year’s “record earnings are the result of decisions made during the pandemic to expand the Qatar Airways’ passenger and cargo networks,” including a more precise forecast of the global market recovery and strong cost maintenance.

Flight fare concerns ahead of World Cup 2022

FIFA World Cup organisers estimate that about 1.5 million visitors will attend the upcoming major football event. 

The countries which have requested the most World Cup ticket applications to date, include the host nation Qatar, as well as Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

Airlines have significantly increased their flight prices to Qatar during the football tournament dates.

On a regional level for instance, a one-way ticket from Dubai to Doha on November 20 has reached QAR 4,000-6,000, compared to its usual average of QAR 600 to 500 on a normal day. Return tickets on the same dates fare at QAR 8,500.

As of February, fares from Argentina to Doha on November 20 have exceeded QAR 17,000 for a one-way ticket on Qatar Airways, whilst tickets from England have spiked to QAR 5,000.

For Brazil, supporters may also have to pay an amount nearing QAR 12,596 for a one-way ticket and almost double for an economy round-trip.